UNB, Panchagarh :
The lifestyle of the residents of the now-defunct 36 enclaves in the district has undergone an extraordinarily change with implementation of several large-scale projects taken up by the government for their socio-economic uplift.
Thirty-two educational intuitions, including three colleges and some high schools and primary schools, have been established in the area while one college have already started educational activities after getting the government nod, according to sources at the district education office.
Besides, Palli Bidyut Samity under Rural Electrification Board (REB) has set up 226 kilometers electricity supply line costing Tk27 crore bringing 8,504 families under the electricity network, said M Yunus, Deputy General Manager (DGM) of Panchagarh zonal office of the Samity.
The district office of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) has sent recommendation for arrangement of some 2,200 sources of pure drinking water and 4,000 sanitary latrines to ensure health security of the residents of the area.
Meanwhile, sanitary latrine materials have been supplied to 126 houses and 60 tube-wells have been installed to ensure availability of fresh drinking water, said Executive Engineer of DPHE Saiful Islam.
Civil Surgeon of the district Dr. Pitambar Roy said they have already got permission to set up five community clinics in the former enclaves and sent proposals for two more in order to ensure medical facilities, one of the five basic human rights, to the residents.
At present, doctors are giving healthcare to the patients through some makeshift medical camps, Pitambar added while talking to UNB.
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has worked out a three-year plan involving Tk82.66 crore to construct roads, culverts, bridges, markets and mosques in the area, said Shubash Kumar Shaha, executive engineer of the district office of LGED.
Apart, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Panchagarh Abu Bakar Siddique said his administration has taken a plan to implement 25 projects costing Tk1.62 crore for the area.
On the other hand, as many as 300 farmers of the enclave area have been given training on modern agriculture technology and around 3,000 saplings have been distributed among them, said M Rafiqul Islam, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, Panchagarh.
Meanwhile, the Department of Youth Development has arranged employment for 82 youths of the area after giving them training on sweater knitting and operating linking machine.
Election officer of the district Dewan M Sarwar Jahan said some 7,245 ex-enclave dwellers of Debiganj, Boda and sadar upazilas have been enlisted during the current voter enumeration programme to provide them with National Identity (NID) cards.
In another move, the government has also brought some 1,109 old people under the elderly allowance programme while 474 have been brought under widow allowance and 247 under disabled allowance programmes, said M Siddiqur Rahman, deputy director of the Social Service Department.
During a recent visit, the UNB correspondent found the district administration has made security arrangements for the residents of the former enclaves.
Contacted, Superintendent of Police of the district Giasuddin Ahmed said a makeshift police camp has been set up to maintain law and order there.
However, a permanent police camp will be set up there once the space for it is fixed, the SP added.
As part of the process to implement the 1974 historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), Bangladesh and India formally swapped their enclaves in the wee hours July 31, 2015, bringing an end to the 70-year statelessness of thousands of people living in the enclaves on both sides of the two neighboring countries.
Under the agreement, India exchanged 111 enclaves measuring 17,160 acres to Bangladesh and received 51 enclaves covering 7,110 acres.
The 111 ex-Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh include 12 in Kurigram, 59 in Lalmonirhat, four in Nilphamari and 36 in Panchagarh whereas all 51 ex-Bangladeshi enclaves are located in Cooch Behar of India.
The lifestyle of the residents of the now-defunct 36 enclaves in the district has undergone an extraordinarily change with implementation of several large-scale projects taken up by the government for their socio-economic uplift.
Thirty-two educational intuitions, including three colleges and some high schools and primary schools, have been established in the area while one college have already started educational activities after getting the government nod, according to sources at the district education office.
Besides, Palli Bidyut Samity under Rural Electrification Board (REB) has set up 226 kilometers electricity supply line costing Tk27 crore bringing 8,504 families under the electricity network, said M Yunus, Deputy General Manager (DGM) of Panchagarh zonal office of the Samity.
The district office of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) has sent recommendation for arrangement of some 2,200 sources of pure drinking water and 4,000 sanitary latrines to ensure health security of the residents of the area.
Meanwhile, sanitary latrine materials have been supplied to 126 houses and 60 tube-wells have been installed to ensure availability of fresh drinking water, said Executive Engineer of DPHE Saiful Islam.
Civil Surgeon of the district Dr. Pitambar Roy said they have already got permission to set up five community clinics in the former enclaves and sent proposals for two more in order to ensure medical facilities, one of the five basic human rights, to the residents.
At present, doctors are giving healthcare to the patients through some makeshift medical camps, Pitambar added while talking to UNB.
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has worked out a three-year plan involving Tk82.66 crore to construct roads, culverts, bridges, markets and mosques in the area, said Shubash Kumar Shaha, executive engineer of the district office of LGED.
Apart, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Panchagarh Abu Bakar Siddique said his administration has taken a plan to implement 25 projects costing Tk1.62 crore for the area.
On the other hand, as many as 300 farmers of the enclave area have been given training on modern agriculture technology and around 3,000 saplings have been distributed among them, said M Rafiqul Islam, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, Panchagarh.
Meanwhile, the Department of Youth Development has arranged employment for 82 youths of the area after giving them training on sweater knitting and operating linking machine.
Election officer of the district Dewan M Sarwar Jahan said some 7,245 ex-enclave dwellers of Debiganj, Boda and sadar upazilas have been enlisted during the current voter enumeration programme to provide them with National Identity (NID) cards.
In another move, the government has also brought some 1,109 old people under the elderly allowance programme while 474 have been brought under widow allowance and 247 under disabled allowance programmes, said M Siddiqur Rahman, deputy director of the Social Service Department.
During a recent visit, the UNB correspondent found the district administration has made security arrangements for the residents of the former enclaves.
Contacted, Superintendent of Police of the district Giasuddin Ahmed said a makeshift police camp has been set up to maintain law and order there.
However, a permanent police camp will be set up there once the space for it is fixed, the SP added.
As part of the process to implement the 1974 historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), Bangladesh and India formally swapped their enclaves in the wee hours July 31, 2015, bringing an end to the 70-year statelessness of thousands of people living in the enclaves on both sides of the two neighboring countries.
Under the agreement, India exchanged 111 enclaves measuring 17,160 acres to Bangladesh and received 51 enclaves covering 7,110 acres.
The 111 ex-Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh include 12 in Kurigram, 59 in Lalmonirhat, four in Nilphamari and 36 in Panchagarh whereas all 51 ex-Bangladeshi enclaves are located in Cooch Behar of India.
